Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie today accepted undisclosed damages at the high court in London to settle their privacy claim against the News of the World over false allegations that they were separating. They were not present.

Pitt and Jolie brought their privacy action through Schillings, the London lawyers, in the high court against News Group Newspapers, the News International subsidiary that publishes the News of the World.

Schillings argued that the News of the World article contravened the Press Complaints Commission code of conduct that states that a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion "once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and – where appropriate – an apology published".

The law firm added that publication of the story amounted to a serious misuse of private information and that it was not required to disclose if the information was true or false. "However in this case we can confirm unequivocally, and upon instructions, that the allegations published by the News of the World are false as well as intrusive," the firm said.

The News of the World alleged on 24 January that the couple visited a divorce lawyer in December 2009 to begin thrashing out a separation deal and that last month they signed a deal to divide their assets of £205m.

The article also claimed that the couple's children would live with Jolie but that Pitt would have visitation rights and that the separation would occur imminently.

Pitt and Jolie have three adopted children – Maddox, eight, Pax, six, and Zahara, five – and three biological children – Shiloh, three, and 17-month-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Keith Schilling of Schillings told the court the couple's Los Angeles attorneys wrote to News Group informing them the allegations were false.

But, a few days later in the next issue, the News of the World published another article, Brange Leak War, which repeated the earlier allegations and stated the couple had argued about who had leaked details of their marriage breakup to the press. The stories "spawned an array of false stories" all over the world, Schilling said.

The actors then requested the newspaper to publish an apology and retraction in respect of these allegations and, when it failed to do so, issued legal proceedings.

"When the News of the World failed to publicly retract the allegations and apologise for them – thereby leaving their readers in the dark as to the true position – the couple felt they had no alternative than to sue," he said. "Today's victory marks the end of the litigation brought by Brad and Angelina."

He added that the couple now considered their rights had been vindicated.

"In consequence, when the News of the World failed to publicly retract the allegations and apologise for them – thereby leaving their readers in the dark as to the true position – the couple felt they had no alternative than to sue," Schilling said. "Today's victory marks the end of the litigation brought by Brad and Angelina."

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